Cayman Islands captive licences stay stable

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The Cayman Islands captive insurance industry stayed stable throughout 2015 with 22 new licences being recorded, according to the Insurance Managers Association of Cayman (IMAC).

This is the same number of captives licensed in the region in 2014.

The total number of B, C and D licencees domiciled in the Cayman Islands as at 31 December 2015 was 708, pure captives representing 369 of these, a further 140 being segregated portfolio companies with 124 being group captives. Combined, these licencees wrote premiums of $12.7 billion ($ 12.0 billion, 2014) and held total assets of $58 billion (US$51.5 billion, 2014)

The continued soft “traditional” insurance market, the ripple effects of health care reform in the USA and increasing competition from more than 80 captive domiciles worldwide has required diligence on behalf of the industry to continue to attract new formations, according to IMAC.

Kieran O’Mahony, chairperson of IMAC, said he is confident about Cayman’s ongoing leading position in the captive market.

“The continuous flow of new formations in the current climate is evidence of the enduring strength of our industry and the domicile,” she said.

“What is also of note is the sustained growth in premium written by Cayman licencees of almost 6 percent and the 12.5 percent increase in total assets held.

“Both of these rises speak to larger captives writing more lines of business, retaining more risk and most importantly, enhancing profitability. Further, group captives continued to expand during 2015 through organic growth as well as by new activations.”

IMAC said that the Cayman Islands remains the leading jurisdiction for healthcare and group captives, with 34 percent and 17 percent of market share, respectively.

“Cayman captives are increasingly being put to use for innovative lines of business and risk such as insuring; employee medical stop loss, medical groups, cyber/privacy breach and equipment maintenance,” it said.